Press Contact:
Liz McNulty
Chartway Federal Credit Union
757-552-1000 x43699
cemcnulty@chartway.com

Members of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Gulf Coast were honored recently with a $50,000 grant presented by We Promise Foundation® Chairman, Phil Richards. This is the second of three such grants planned thus far for 2009. The first was given to the Rhode Island Make-A-Wish Foundation® in March; the third will be presented to the Florida Chapter in May.  As Chartway Federal Credit Union’s charitable arm, the We Promise Foundation® raises money to benefit children’s charities within the communities served by the credit union. Since 1999, Chartway and its foundation have raised more than $2M to help children throughout the country—raising nearly $400,000 last year alone. 

The Houston area holds the second-largest concentration of Chartway’s membership.  Chartway’s President and CEO, Ron Burniske, holds a position on the local Make-A-Wish Chapter’s Board of Directors. 

 “It is a true privilege to serve on their Board because I have seen first-hand the power of making a wish come true, and am committed to making a difference for these children who face adversity with courage and strength,” Burniske says.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is the nation’s largest wish-granting organization. Since 1980 they have remained dedicated to providing hope, strength and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions. From humble beginnings with one boy’s wish to be a police officer, they have evolved into an organization that grants a child’s wish in the U.S. every 41 minutes.  

The Texas Gulf Coast & Louisiana Chapter was founded in 1984 and has granted over 4,300 wishes.  Teri Andrepont, the President and CEO of the Texas Gulf Coast & Louisiana Chapter, speaks to the importance of grants such as the one received from Chartway, saying, “We simply could not make wishes come true without the support of people and companies like Chartway.  Their contribution will give hope and bring great joy to many heroic children and their families!”
 
Chartway and We Promise share the same passion to help children and are dedicated to putting smiles on children’s faces by making their dreams come true. 

“We have always held a strong commitment to helping children,” says Chairman, Phil Richards. “We are delighted to be able to provide our financial support to other communities who really need our help.”

“Watching a child learn that his or her dream will come true is priceless” says Burniske.  “We are just happy that we can do something to make that magical moment a reality.”

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About the We Promise Foundation®
As the charitable arm of Chartway Federal Credit Union, the We Promise Foundation® is dedicated to making dreams come true for children struggling with degenerative, life-threatening, debilitating or chronic illnesses, or those facing tremendous hardship.  The foundation provides funding within the communities the credit union serves with a single goal:  to put smiles on a child’s face by making their dreams come true.  The foundation was launched in 2005 based on the enduring success of Chartway’s previous charitable events.  Since 1999, Chartway and its We Promise Foundation have raised more than $2M in support of numerous Make-A-Wish Foundation chapters, St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children, Families of Autistic Children in Tidewater and other Hampton Roads-area charitable groups.  For more information, click on www.wepromisefoundation.org.

About Chartway Federal Credit Union
Chartway FCU, a not-for-profit financial institution, has been serving members and families since 1959, building a service network that includes 64 branches in 10 states. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, VA, the credit union’s reach extends through Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Utah. HeritageWest Credit Union and SouthWest Community Credit Union joined the Chartway family in 2010. Utah Central became part of the organization in 2011. Altogether, the organization has assets of more than $1.9 billion, and serves 230,000 members. For more information, visit www.chartway.com; or, follow them at www.facebook.com/chartwayfcu.